Research on the Mechanical Properties, Fluoride and Monomer Release of a New Experimental Flowable Giomer in Comparison to Three Commercial Flowable Giomers

Giomers are hybrid dental materials with controlled fluoride release properties. The aim of this study was to characterise a new experimental flowable giomer (G) in comparison to three commercial flowable giomers: Beautifil flow Plus X F00 (B-F00), Beautifil flow F02 (B-F02) and Beautifil flow Plus X F03 (B-F03), Shofu, Kyoto, Japan. The studied properties are fluoride ion release, residual monomers release and mechanical properties. The data analysis was performed using the ANOVA test and Tukey test for post hoc comparisons between groups. During the first day of the fluoride releasing measurement, the following classification resulted: B-F02 > B-F03 > B-F00 > G and at the end of the investigation period, at 60 days: B-F02 > B-F03 > G > B-F00. The experimental giomer released a lower percentage of total residual monomers than the commercial giomers. The highest value for the mechanical properties was recorded for the commercial giomers. The experimental giomer registered the lowest values for mechanical properties but higher than the imposed standard limit. There were statistically significant differences between the analyzed materials, in terms of fluoride releasing, residual monomer releasing and mechanical properties.